The American at Hogwarts
by KreacherElf
Summary: Ryan has gotten himself in trouble...BIG trouble. His parents have shipped him off to Hogwarts, away from his family, his home, and most importantly his friends. Saying goodbye is difficult, but maybe he can start a new life for himself in the U.K.
1. Chapter 1

_The American at Hogwarts._

Disclaimer: I only own the plot and a few names…I don't take credit for anything else!  
Warning: It's clean fornow but there'll be some **slash** eventually. You've been warned!

**Chapter 1: A New School**

_This is it_, he told himself, _time to suck it up and walk through those oak doors_. They were gigantic. Ryan jolted out of his thought process and stepped through the cool autumn night's mist. He drew his sleek black robes about his tall frame and ran his fingers through his short brown hair. The school never seemed more unwelcoming. He marched up the seven stone steps to the front doors. America didn't have any castles; this was an entirely new sight. Awestruck, Ryan crossed the threshold into the Entrance Hall and gasped in astonishment. It was the highest ceiling he'd ever seen, not to mention all of the elegant designs and decorations. Following the instructions in his letter, Ryan ascended the large marble staircase to his left and wound his way through various corridors and additional staircases to arrive at a large stone gargoyle. He spoke the password, "Toffee Crunch," and the gargoyle leapt sideways to reveal an escalading staircase.

Once in the office of his new headmaster, Ryan was truly amazed. The place was adorned with all kinds of magical gadgets he had never before seen or heard of.

"Have a seat, Mr. Sevad." Ryan Sat down in a freshly conjured squashy armchair. "My name is Albus Dumbledore. You may call me Professor Dumbledore. Traditionally, we do not accept any wizards or witches at my school past their first year at ages ten and eleven. However, I understand that you have been sent here under special circumstances, and we've decided to open our doors to you."

He spoke with such smoothness and wisdom that Ryan was slightly taken aback. It seemed a privilege to even speak to this man, let alone have a one-on-one conversation with him. He was obviously a very powerful and important wizard.

"Thank you, Professor."

Following this introduction, Professor Dumbledore went on to explain various school rules and guidelines. Then, he assisted in preparing Ryan's schedule.

"It is October 1st, as you know. Tonight, all the students of Hogwarts will arrive on the Hogwarts Express and attend the Welcome Feast in the Great Hall. Of course, we would be delighted to have you join the festivities, but we must first discover where you belong." said Professor Dumbledore. He walked across his office, removed a particularly nasty looking wizard's hat, and returned to his desk. "Mr. Sevad, it is time for you to be sorted."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Tension**

"You can't do this to me! I won't go! This is ridiculous!"

"You're going, god damn it, and your father and I won't hear otherwise! You're going to Hogwarts whether you like or not! Now get to your room and pack for god's sake before you make it any worse for yourself!"

Rejection. Hate. Ryan never planned on any of this happening. He was curious, like all young witches and wizards are. _Curiosity killed the cat, yes_, Ryan fumed, _but that cat was a dumbass who took it too far._ Felix Felicis once, Draught of Peace four times, Sleeping Draught twice, Wit-Sharpening Potion once, Euphoria Potion twice, and what his parents called a "butterbeer overdose."

_They're completely blowing this out of proportion_, thought Ryan, _they know I'm a smart kid. I'm sixteen! I know how to take care of myself. I received top marks all last year at Valianna High School of Magic. If only I could just tell them how these things helped me cope with the life they don't know about, it would change everything. They need to understand that I know where to draw the line._

Ryan mulled over all of these thoughts over the next hour as he stuffed his suitcase full of clothes. They probably wouldn't be any use to him at this Hogwarts place. From what he heard, they were forced to wear robes on every school day. "Tight-asses," he muttered to himself. With every chime of the grandfather clock downstairs came another sinking feeling. He was leaving tomorrow.

"I'm going to see my friends, Dad, I'm all packed and stuff. I'll be back later tonight," Ryan told his dad. He walked out the door, slammed it satisfyingly, and disapparated with a _pop_.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Painful Goodbyes**

Sixela Mosle was short, with brunette hair, and kitten-like brown eyes. She was one of the cheeriest people Ryan knew, and he could always count on her to be there for him through thick and thin. He knocked on her door twice, but was interrupted on the third knock as she started winding in and out of his legs.

"Hey, Six."

The sleek black cat purred lovingly and leapt into Ryan's arms. She rested in his embrace for a few moments, and then pulled away. As she jumped to the ground, small human feet and hands sprouted from her middle. These were followed by arms, legs, and the head and torso of a sixteen-year-old human girl. Sixela Mosle was an animagus.

"How goes it?" asked Ryan.

"Been better." replied Sixela as she began walking toward her front door.

"What are we gonna do, Six? I'm going to be so miserable at Hogwarts. They can't apparate or become animagi until they're frickin'seventeen!" he pleaded, following her through the entrance and into her living room.

"Ryan, all I can say is this. We've both messed up this summer, and we've got to pay the consequences. I know it's rough and harsh, but we need to hold our heads high! You're going to Hogwarts School in the U.K.; I'm going to Koonich Acadamy in Alaska. If we're lucky we can talk by Floo Powder but I just don't know, okay? Nothing can hurt our friendship, though, we are _solid_!"

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"Dude, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. You got most of the potions from me and I never should have let you-"

"Don't even go there. You _know_ I made my own decisions. Everyone's been trying to bring you down with me but it had nothing to do with you."

Doron Kebyl was completely out of the ordinary. He stuck out like a sore thumb in the small wizarding community they lived in, and that's what made him so special. He knew what it was like to be different, and he understood Ryan like no one else could. It was Doron that Ryan would have the hardest time saying goodbye to. He was truly the only "no-secret friend" Ryan had ever had, and though their friendship would last throughout this entire ordeal, he would definitely miss having someone to talk to about his problems.

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Nylie Retsam was another close friend of Ryan's. The two didn't spend a lot of time together, but they were so much alike that their friendship always had a strong foundation. She was another person, like Sixela and Doron, who would stay by his side.

"Our connection was really growing over the summer, too," said Ryan, "and after this we'll probably go back to the way we were."

"Yeah, right…_sure_," said Nylie with a tone of sarcasm, "but you know that we'll always be connected, just, uh…because. You know."

Ryan smiled, "Yes. I know. I'll really miss you though."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The Welcome Feast**

The Great Hall was fantastic. Ryan could only hope that there was this much wonderful food at every meal, but he knew better.

_Yeah, Right. The Welcome Feast is an everyday meal._

He made his way to the long table decorated with blue and gray banners. As he sat down with the other older teenagers, he noticed an old woman enter the Hall with the hat he had just been sorted with.

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_Wow, this could be tough_, the Hat spoke into his thoughts, _I see you've got the brains and determination that belong to a Ravenclaw, but I also find that you value courage and the feelings of others. Perhaps you'd fit better in Gryffindor? I've never had the pleasure of sorting a teenager, and it's proven difficult, as I said, but I believe I've finally come to a decision. You definitely belong to…_

"RAVENCLAW!"

The shout echoed through the Headmaster's office. Ravenclaw? What was all this about belonging places? Ryan had always assumed that people just came to school to be taught, not to be sorted into different clubs or whatever this hat was talking about.

"It appears that you will be living in the Ravenclaw dormitory for the next couple of years, Mr. Sevad. Rowena Ravenclaw, who founded the house, valued Intelligence and Skill above all else. It is an honorable house to be sorted in, Ryan, and you should feel proud. Having gotten things 'sorted' out, I will now walk you down to the Feast."

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The woman placed the sorting hat on a small stool. Then, the hat burst into a song about the different houses and what it meant to be in each one. As soon as the song was over, kids ranging from ten to eleven years old sat in front of the Head Table and placed the old hat on their head. Not long after, they too were shouted in the right direction of where they belonged. Ryan was extremely gracious that Professor Dumbledore didn't force him to be sorted along with all the kids. Lost in thought, he let his eyes roam around the Hall. The ceiling was probably the most interesting. Ryan felt like he could stare into the nighttime sky forever, until –

"Hello! Yeah, welcome back to Earth!" She was standing behind him, practically shouting at this point. At the success of getting Ryan's attention, she sat down backwards and leaned back against the Ravenclaw table. "Hi. I'm Lena. I saw you walk in and didn't recognize you. What's your name?"

"I'm Ryan. Nice to meet you, Lena. Are you a sixth year too?"

"Nah, seventh…but don't worry about that. So where'd you come from?"

"The States. My parents shipped me over for potion abuse."

"Jeez, that's pretty rough. I still think you're cool though. I've got to get back to my table, but we should have a chat later, eh?"

"Yeah, I'd like that," said Ryan. She was short, with long black hair. Somehow, he was surprised to see her join the Slytherins, who made rude faces at any Gryffindor who dared steal a glance at their table. Ryan's eyes traveled to the person she was sitting by. Their eyes met, and he became lost in them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: First Day Blues**

_Ugh…I really don't want to get up. If I'm lucky, Dad made something good for breakfast…probably not._ Ryan opened his eyes slowly and jumped, surprised. After a few seconds, the painful and vivid memories flashed past his mind as he came to reality. He just spent his first night at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He looked at his alarm clock. It was ten in the morning, and he had class at eleven. Drawing the curtains around his four-poster, he threw on some dark green pajama bottoms, a white T-shirt, and sandals to go eat breakfast. He entered the Hall and was completely mortified.

A sea of black lay before him. Slowly, every student began to turn their head in his direction, and then tell the others to have a look as well. It didn't take Ryan long to catch on. His hand frozen solid on the door handle from shock, he backpedaled two steps out of the hall and sprinted to the statue of The Weary Traveler at the top of the West Tower.

Ryan spoke the password hurriedly, "Bach Symphony," thrust open the statue's large backpack and dove into the tunnel that would slide him down to the Ravenclaw common room. He collapsed into the comfy sofa in front of the window overlooking the grounds, breathing heavily.

"This is definitely going to be a long couple of years," he said to no one in particular.

"Ha. You'll get used to it," said a little girl on the other side of the room.

"Yeah. Thanks," said Ryan as he stood up with a groan. He moped to the back of the common room and opened the door to the boys' dormitories. _Down the corridor, third door on the left_, he thought without meaning to. His black robes were folded neatly in his nightstand, waiting for him. Ryan looked at his alarm clock again. Ten thirty. He pulled his robes over his head, not caring that he was still in P.J.s underneath. The black shoes were a little too small when he put them on, but after a few seconds they fit perfectly and the shoes had tied themselves.

"Classy British…" he muttered to himself in annoyance. A few first and second years worked hard to stifle laughs as Ryan entered the Great Hall for the second time that morning. There was no food left at the Ravenclaw table. Instantly, Lena took notice and beckoned him to the Slytherin table. "Can I?" Ryan mouthed silently, raising his arms in a questioning shrug.

"Yes," she mouthed back, nodding and smiling brightly.

It felt _so good_ to be accepted.


End file.
